Tai Yiu-ting was released on bail.
Most of the 53 pan-democrats in Hong Kong have now been released on bail after being arrested on Jan. 6. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issues a statement criticizing and saying the U.S. is considering imposing sanctions.
In a statement issued early Jan. 7, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the Communist Party of China for its contempt for its own people and the rule of law, and demanded that the men be released immediately and without conditions. He also mentioned that Hong Kong people are suffering under the oppression of the Chinese Communist Party and that the United States will not stand idly by, and said the United States is considering imposing sanctions on individuals and entities involved in the arrests and will also explore imposing restrictions on Hong Kong’s economic and trade offices in the United States.
“The United States will consider imposing sanctions and adopting other restrictions on any individuals and entities involved in this mass arrest in Hong Kong.” Pompeo said.
Among the more than 50 people arrested was John Clancey, chairman of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights in Asia and a member of the Hong Kong pro-democracy group Democracy Power, who was released on bail late that night. In response, Pompeo also stressed that “the United States will not tolerate the arbitrary detention or harassment of U.S. citizens.”
U.S. Considers Sanctions
Dai Yaoting was released on bail.
Sarah Cook, a senior researcher for the U.S. human rights NGO Freedom House, said the U.S. will not tolerate arbitrary detention or harassment of U.S. citizens. Sarah Cook, a senior researcher for the U.S. non-governmental human rights organization Freedom House, told the station that even with the imminent transition between the old and new administrations, the U.S. government’s sanctions against individuals or entities that violate human rights will not be affected by the change of ownership of the White House, plus the fact that such sanctions are targeted at specific targets has certain advantages in terms of effectiveness.
“There are specific actions against these particular officials that have a real impact on their lives, their finances, their ability to get in and out, or at least cause (them) serious inconvenience, but they don’t affect the broader population.” She said.
After the implementation of Hong Kong’s national security law, the U.S. government announced sanctions against 11 Chinese and Hong Kong officials last August, including Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who mentioned in an interview with Hong Kong International Business Channel (HKIBC) that she had “a lot of cash at home” because of the sanctions so she stopped using her bank account.
Experts: Hong Kong issues will not be ignored because of the change of ownership of the White House
Lin Jingnan was released on bail.
In addition to Pompeo, Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee to be the next U.S. Secretary of State, tweeted on social media, emphasizing that the Biden administration stands with the people of Hong Kong against Beijing’s crackdown on democracy.
“The mass arrests of pan-democratic protesters are an attack on those who courageously speak out for universal rights,” Blinken wrote.
Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a U.S. think tank, told reporters, citing Blinken’s posting, that concerns about the situation in Hong Kong are now a bipartisan consensus, so whether the U.S. will impose further sanctions on Hong Kong will not fade from the spotlight as Trump‘s term draws to a close.
“The Trump administration has taken many actions to punish those in Beijing and Hong Kong who are undermining the city’s autonomy, and they will pass the baton to the Biden administration, and the Biden administration will continue to be concerned.” Gloria wrote in her letter response.
But Gloria stressed that whether the U.S. would accept refugees from Hong Kong, and in what numbers, is a subject that has yet to be clarified. In December, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act, which provides “temporary protected status” for Hong Kong residents fleeing political persecution in the United States. The passage of this bill in the new Congress will be the focus of attention for the new administration and Congress when they take office.
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